ETH Zurich presents its treasures at Zurich’s Long Night of Museums

"Colonial Traces - Collections in Context"

extract brings you a compact exploration of major topics relating to the interplay between society and the research conducted at ETH Zurich. Visit the current exhibition “Colonial Traces - Collections in Context”. The natural history collections of ETH Zurich house tens of thousands of objects from former overseas colonies - a rich variety of rocks and minerals, insects as well as animal and plant specimens. The new exhibition in the exhibition room extract of the ETH Library focuses on these culturalartefacts, examines their past and sheds light on the connection between natural sciences and colonialism.

"The Furnishings of a Writer. Thomas Mann and his study"

The Thomas Mann Archive offers a unique opportunity to gain an in-depth insight into the life and work of the Nobel Prize winner, with the author's original desk and private library taking centre stage. The permanent exhibition in the ETH main building answers the following questions, among others: How did Thomas Mann work? What tools and habits determined the writing process? How was his working day and life with his family organised around his writing?

"Light in paper. The prints of James Turrell"

Light has fascinated artists for centuries. For a long time, it appeared primarily as an important design element within art. Since the 20th century, however, it has also become a subject itself. James Turrell (born 1943 in Los Angeles), who is undoubtedly one of the most important artists of our time, has implemented light in his works in a radical way. The Collection of Prints and Drawings presents in its new exhibition “Light in Paper. The Prints of James Turrell” a selection of his most important works. On "Zurich’s Long Night of Museums” you can participate in the guided input tours through the exhibition, visit a print studio and a collage workshop and find out how an exhibition is created in a curator's talk.

Exhibitions in the NO building, Campus Centre 

focusTerra, the geoscience museum of ETH Zurich  

On "Zurich’s Long Night of Museums”, focusTerra invites visitors to explore the superpowers of our planet in different ways: Visitors will become researchers themselves in interactive experiments; a physics show will make more than just glasses vibrate; an acrobatic duo will demonstrate the power of the human body and current research on volcanoes and the Earth's magnetic field will be presented in lectures. Of course, the earthquake simulator will also be in continuous operation. In addition, the “Superpower Bar” operated by external page DRDOG Catering will provide refreshments while you explore. Further information can be found in the detailed programme.

Exhibitions at the Semper Observatory

"Exploring the sky. Exhibition of astronomical instruments from the collection of Rudolf Wolf"

Visit the exhibition “Den Himmel erforschen” in the historic Semper Observatory and discover the impressive astronomical instruments from the collection of Rudolf Wolf, the first director of the ETH Observatory and pioneer of sunspot research. The exhibits include sundials as well as astrolabes, which are now part of the ETH Library's collection of scientific instruments and teaching aids.

external page Guided tours of the observatory take place every half hour, providing an insight into the history of architecture and research and ending in the large dome. 

external page Frau Raedli's bar invites you to spend some time in the beautiful inner courtyard of the observatory.